Vocational education and training (VET) reform has been at the top of the reform agenda in Georgia for several months. The government authorities perceive reforming VET as a solution to a range of interconnected challenges the country faces, such as labor market mismatches, the “over-education” trap, high unemployment, as well as poverty rates.
MOLI stands for “Market Opportunities for Livelihood Improvement” in Kakheti. The project started in autumn 2012 and initially focused on milk and meat producers in the eastern part of the Kakheti region. It now operates in all eight municipalities of the region. In the second phase of the project, MOLI aims to reduce poverty in the Kakheti region while facilitating improved access to milk, beef and pork markets, and easing farmers’ access to inputs and services.
In August 2016, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri increased to 3.15 GEL, which is 4.8 % higher month-on-month (m/m, that is compared to July 2016), but 9.6% lower year-on-year (y/y, compared to August 2015).
Having experienced a temporary 1% spike in August, food prices are going down again. In the second week of September, ISET’s Retail Food Price Index dropped 0.7% m/m (compared to August 2016) and 2% y/y (compared to September 2015).
On Wednesday, September 7, ISET hosted Dr. Jon Hanf, Head of the Wine Economics Program at Geisenheim University, Germany, who spoke about the prospects of Georgian wine in the highly competitive German market.